Shows
Radical Reformers podcastBudgeting for the future with Rob Powell and Nina PhilippidisIn this week’s Radical Reformers, Andrew welcomes two exceptional local government finance leaders, Rob Powell, Executive Director for Resources, Warwickshire County Council and Nina Philippidis, Executive Director of Resources and Deputy Chief Executive, Gloucestershire County Council.
Local government finance is facing pressures unlike anything we’ve seen before - but with the right leadership, there are also opportunities to reimagine how local government functions and the role it plays.
Nina and Rob share powerful insights about what its really like to lead and make tough decision in local government against a backdrop of frequently changing policy and ever tightening budg...
2026-02-041h 01
Housekeeping Didn't ComeForecasts Look Fine Until People Showed UpGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.A clean forecast feels comforting—right up until guests arrive early, hungry, and convinced your operation runs on their schedule. We open the door to the real world of hospitality, where tidy plans meet messy peaks, and show how great operators trade prediction for readiness without sacrificing standards or sanity.Rob Powell, hospitality lecturer at the University of Arkansas, walks through a familiar scene: optimistic projections, tight but workable labor, inventory en route—and then the surge. Inst...
2026-02-0304 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeIf Mardi Gras Were A Hotel It Would Be Over BudgetGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.We stress-test a favorite thought experiment: if Mardi Gras were a single hotel, revenue would soar while margins tighten, and the only way through is smart judgment under pressure. We share a real event-weekend cascade that proves why budgets are tools and people are the priority.• Mardi Gras framed as a single hospitality asset• Peak demand raising revenue while compressing margins• Real-world failures across staffing, vendors and tech• Service recovery choices and comp strategy under st...
2026-01-2805 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeTipping Doesn’t Reward Great Service (And the Research Proves It) S1E29Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Feel that pinch of judgment when a tip screen spins your way before you even take a sip? We dig into why that awkward pause exists, what 50 years of research actually says about tipping, and how digital prompts have turned generosity into an exhausting decision loop. Along the way, we unpack the gap between what we believe tips do—reward great service—and what the evidence shows: social norms, habit, and high anchors often drive the number more than perf...
2026-01-2608 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeWhy Hospitality Demands More Than A SmileGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Think hospitality begins and ends with a smile? We open the door on what the work truly demands: operations, logistics, finance, labor management, risk, and leadership under pressure. The goal isn’t to look friendly while chaos swirls. The goal is to build systems so guests feel ease while teams shoulder the load with calm precision.Rob Powell, lecturer at the University of Arkansas Hospitality Management Program, shares the day-one talk that jolts students and steadies careers. We...
2026-01-2011 min
Rob Black ShowDOJ Powell ProbeThe Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Certified Financial Planner Chad Burton on retirement strategies, More on the next seminar with EP Wealth Advisors CFP's Chad Burton and Ryan Ignacio at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge January 15th at 6:30pm covering important tax strategies and more
2026-01-1237 minRob Black ShowDOJ Powell ProbeThe Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Certified Financial Planner Chad Burton on retirement strategies, More on the next seminar with EP Wealth Advisors CFP's Chad Burton and Ryan Ignacio at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge January 15th at 6:30pm covering important tax strategies and more
2026-01-1237 min
Rob Black ShowDOJ Powell ProbeThe Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Certified Financial Planner Chad Burton on retirement strategies, More on the next seminar with EP Wealth Advisors CFP's Chad Burton and Ryan Ignacio at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge January 15th at 6:30pm covering important tax strategies and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
2026-01-1237 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeMardi Gras 101: The Business of Beads, Balls, and Organized Chaos.Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.We unpack how Mardi Gras actually runs: krewes as volunteer-driven engines, throws as branded inventory, and citywide logistics that keep guests delighted while operators manage risk and cost. The result is a playbook for festivals, hotels at peak demand, and large events under pressure.• Krewes as nonprofit producers with bylaws, committees, insurance, and budgets• Scale of floats, fleet management, storage, maintenance, and safety• Throws as inventory, branding, and guest memory design• Parade formats as market s...
2026-01-1111 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeNew Year’s Eve ChaosGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.New Year’s Eve looks like glitter from the front and a pressure cooker from the back. We open the doors on the most volatile night in hospitality and map the patterns that repeat every year: surging crowds, elastic time, drinks that multiply problems, and expectations that leap past capacity. I walk through “Operational Disaster Bingo” not as a joke, but as a practical field guide to recurring failure points—lost phones and shoes, ice machines quitting, bathroom lines turning...
2026-01-1102 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeHow Hospitality Leaders Survive Holiday Scheduling Without Losing Their Minds S1EP25Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.The calendar says holiday, the operation says stress test. We open the doors on December and talk honestly about what it takes to build a Christmas schedule that doesn’t break your team—or your spirit. Rob Powell, hospitality lecturer and industry lifer, unpacks the art of negotiating time-off requests, the difference between empathy and enablement, and the cultural power of rewarding the people who raise their hands to cover when it matters most.You’ll hear a taxo...
2025-12-2305 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeSilent Night, Fully BookedGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.We take apart the holiday myth of “silent night” and show how sold-out rooms, strained kitchens, and flickering lights reveal the real work and real heart of hospitality. Through absurd guest requests and staffing puzzles, we find the meaning that keeps teams going.• the gap between holiday calm and operational chaos• department-by-department December pressure points• handling high and unusual guest expectations with grace• staffing as a seasonal miracle and culture test• small acts of care that d...
2025-12-1605 min
Of-By-For the People!Bondi Beach - Brown University - Amsterdam Protest - Rob Reiner - MORE!Of-By and For the People! Bondi Beach - Brown University - Amsterdam Protest - Rob Reiner - MORE! www.headlinesandopinions.com
Conversations centered around the American Experiment and our Constitution and Bill of Rights! Our goal is to provide different perspectives - give historical context - model how to talk with those whom we may disagree with - tie foundational principals to today's headlines - PLUS, have some fun along the way. Please leave us a review and share with your friends! (A PODCAST PROVIDED AND OWNED BY DURING THE BREAK PODCASTS)
Brought to you by Eric...
2025-12-151h 00Housekeeping Didn't ComeFinals Week Isn’t The Finish Line: Grades are In, I'm Out!Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.The finish line is a lie, especially when you teach hospitality. Grades are due, coffee runs dry, and the inbox lights up with pleas, confessions, and the occasional miracle. We open the door on what finals week really feels like for a hospitality instructor who refuses to teach only from a podium. From a casino floor to a hotel balcony on Bourbon Street to the back of a festival tent, the work stays alive in the field—and that’s wh...
2025-12-0805 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeWe Found Your Lost Earring. And Your Dignity. S1E22Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Lost and Found departments in hotels are memory banks of misadventures where hospitality meets humanity through the forgotten items guests leave behind. The things we abandon and how staff returns them reveal profound truths about exceptional service and human dignity.• Every forgotten item tells a story - from earrings suggesting first dates to stuffed animals serving as security blankets• Discretion is a professional skill requiring staff to log, clean, tag, and return items without judgment• Trust...
2025-11-2602 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeThe Lights Are On, But the GM’s in a Budget Meeting S1E21Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.The mysterious world of hotel budget meetings takes center stage as we reveal what really happens when hospitality leaders gather to plan their financial future. Far more than a simple accounting exercise, these high-stakes sessions determine everything from the freshness of your morning lobby coffee to the responsiveness of front desk staff.Budget meetings represent the ultimate test of leadership in hospitality. We explore how exceptional general managers transform spreadsheet exercises into strategic roadmaps, balancing immediate operational...
2025-11-1902 minHousekeeping Didn't ComePart 2 of 4: “The Butler, the Buffet, and the Brand Promise” S1E24Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.A captain who hands his hat to a guest and says everyone gets a turn at the helm sets the tone for everything that follows. We take you aboard Silver Sea to unpack how leadership by presence, empowered teams, and intentional systems turn service into a living performance. From a butler who anticipates needs before they’re voiced to a maître d’ who quietly opens a fully booked room, each moment feels spontaneous because the structure behind it is st...
2025-11-1207 minHousekeeping Didn't ComePart 1 of 4: “Welcome Aboard: Service at Sea and the Silversea Standard” S1E23Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.The story starts where most vacations don’t: on a loading dock at dawn. Forklifts hum, pallets of champagne and butter stack like sheet music, and a quiet army turns chaos into calm. From that first backstage beat to a water taxi skimming across Venetian canals, we follow every cue that transforms logistics into emotion and makes a guest feel like the lead in their own film.We share how frictionless travel works in practice—door-to-door transfers, invi...
2025-11-1209 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeWelcome Aboard: Service at Sea and the Silversea StandardGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Ever wonder why some trips feel effortless while others drain your energy before the first sip of champagne? We trace a journey from Venice to Athens to show how true luxury is built backstage: chauffeurs who arrive on the dot, escorts who glide you past lines, water taxis that appear as if on cue, and a crew that times every step like a ballet. The result isn’t luck. It’s orchestration.We share the moments that matt...
2025-11-1208 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeDon’t Lick the Buffet Tongs (And Other Management Philosophies) S1E20Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.The elegant chaos of hospitality leadership reveals that your greatest challenge isn't occupancy or food costs, but preventing staff from doing something weird when you're not watching. This episode explores how witnessing a server lick their fingers before handling buffet utensils represents not just a food safety issue but a fundamental leadership challenge.• Culture is built daily through behavior, tone, story and correction• Laminated SOPs mean nothing if not modeled by leadership• Pre-shift meetings are critic...
2025-11-1202 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeSpa Robes and Power Plays: Tales from the VIP Floor S1E19Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Ever witnessed a Fortune 500 CEO storming through a hotel lobby in a spa robe, arguing about a $14 minibar charge? Welcome to the fascinating world of luxury hospitality, where exceptional service goes far beyond accommodating eccentric requests.This episode takes you behind the velvet rope of VIP service to reveal what truly matters in creating memorable guest experiences. We explore the crucial difference between bending to every whim and mastering the art of anticipation, execution, and recovery. You'll...
2025-11-0502 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeSir, This Is a Courtyard, Not a Castle S1E18Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Ever had a guest who expected Versailles but booked a standard room with two queen beds? You're not alone! Hospitality professionals everywhere are facing an expectations crisis. Guests walk in with dreams shaped by perfectly filtered social media posts, demanding spa-like experiences and Instagram-worthy aesthetics from corporate hotels near airports. This growing disconnect between expectation and reality creates unique challenges for even the most seasoned hospitality workers.Through a hilarious yet relatable story about a g...
2025-10-2802 min
Rock Therapy with Rob Silber: Artist Interviews PodcastAndy Powell of Wishbone Ash InterviewInterview with Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash where he discusses the release of Live At The Capitol Theater as well as the band's upcoming gig at Edmond Town Hall in Newtown.
2025-10-2719 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeYour 10am Check-Out Is Not a Suggestion. S1E17Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Ever wonder why checkout time—that clearly stated policy—becomes a battleground in hotels worldwide? Join me, Rob Powell, as I pull back the curtain on what might be hospitality's most contested boundary.Checkout time isn't just a number on your confirmation email. It represents the delicate balance between guest satisfaction and operational necessity. When guests hear "checkout is at 10 am," something curious happens—selective hearing kicks in. They nod, smile, sip their coffee, promise they'll "be out so...
2025-10-2102 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeDon’t Eat the Guests’ Cookies. And Other Survival Tips S1E16Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Ever wondered what really happens behind the pristine facade of hotels and restaurants? Welcome to the unfiltered world of hospitality where cookies disappear, lobbies transform into chaos zones, and maintaining your sanity requires an unwritten rulebook.The infamous "cookie incident" serves as our gateway into hospitality reality - a well-meaning bellhop, one sampled cookie, and the inevitable guest complaint that follows. It's a perfect illustration of hospitality's golden rule: the guests always know. Beyond this cautionary tale...
2025-10-1403 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeWelcome to the Team. Here’s a Mop and a Prayer - Onboarding S1E15Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Remember your first day in hospitality? That moment when someone handed you a uniform, pointed vaguely at your workstation, and left you to fend for yourself? This episode of "Housekeeping, Didn't Come?" dives into the chaotic world of hospitality onboarding—where reality often falls hilariously short of the ideal.Host Rob Powell shares the unforgettable tale of a hotel front desk agent who received just 30 minutes of training before his trainer quit mid-shift, leaving the bewildered newcomer as...
2025-10-0702 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeMiddle Management- Where Dreams and Sandwich Orders Die S1E14Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Ever watched someone plunge a toilet while simultaneously taking a corporate call about metrics and coordinating a birthday dessert? That's not multitasking—that's the daily reality for middle managers in hospitality, the unsung heroes keeping our industry afloat.Middle management isn't just a position—it's an art form requiring the diplomatic skills of an ambassador, the patience of a therapist, and the improvisational talents of a street performer. These professionals exist in the challenging space between corporate expe...
2025-09-3002 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeWe’re Sorry About the Rooster. Here’s a Muffin. The Art of Service Recovery S1E13Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Have you ever wondered what separates good hospitality from unforgettable hospitality? It's not perfection—it's what happens when things go hilariously, epically wrong.Welcome to the world of service recovery, where a prehistoric-screaming rooster at 4:53 AM becomes not a disaster but an opportunity for magic. In this episode, Rob Powell shares the unforgettable story of how one boutique luxury property transformed a potential one-star TripAdvisor tantrum into a viral social media win with nothing more than warm mu...
2025-09-2303 minHousekeeping Didn't ComeJust Breathe, You're Not Actually on Fire (Yet) S1E12Got podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.We unpack the power of pausing before reacting in hospitality situations, demonstrating how strategic thinking transforms service outcomes. Taking a moment to think intentionally creates space between stimulus and response, turning potential crises into opportunities for exceptional guest experiences.• The hospitality professional's natural instinct to act immediately can undermine service quality• Pausing is not weakness but the exact right strategic response in crisis moments• Real-world example of an employee who calmly extinguished a napkin fire by thi...
2025-09-1603 min
Housekeeping Didn't ComeLeadership in the Wild S1E11aGot podcast love, a plot twist, or a lost-and-found tale? Send fan mail here. Bonus points for wit.Have you ever wondered what leadership looks like when there's nowhere to hide? Rob Powell takes us on a gripping journey through the rugged terrain of adventure hospitality, revealing profound leadership lessons that emerge when the trail literally disappears beneath your feet.Drawing from his experiences guiding expeditions through remote Patagonian trails and teaching at the University of Arkansas Hospitality Management Program, Powell articulates a refreshing leadership philosophy born from necessity rather than theory. When you're responsible...
2025-09-0907 min